Unlikely Help
by Kasena
Summary: When the unthinkable happens, Danny gets some help from the most unlikely of places. But will he be able to survive in this new situation?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I, again, would like to thank GirlOfLegend for helping me come up with this inspiration. She decided to help me with ideas for this story. I really do hope you enjoy this story! Oh, and this does not have any Pompous Pep in it. Rather, it's more of a father/son fic, so... there ya go. And I think it goes without saying that this is pre-PP. See you at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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"Danny, time for dinner!" I looked at my clock to see it was 7:11 p.m. I sighed, closed up the notebook I was writing in and put it back in my duffel bag. Knowing Mom wouldn't want to call me down a second time, I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I wasn't ready for what I saw. Well, actually looking back on it, I should have known something like this would happen.

There had only been three attacks total today, before, and after school, and one during lunch. I had had a pretty good day in general, so I should have known something would go wrong. That today was just the calm before the storm. But what I didn't know was that that storm would turn out to be a hurricane, tornado, and tsunami and balled up into one thing.

My first tip-off was that the food was normal. It wasn't trying to get up off the plates and eat anyone. In fact, it was pizza, delivered from the Pizza Place just down the street. My next clue that something was wrong was that my parents were working on an invention. They never worked on inventions during dinner unless it was either really important, or it was a last-ditch effort to get it to work. I absently went to grab a slice when I noticed there were five plates. I looked up to see who the fifth person was and received my second shock within just as many minutes. Sitting there was a man with cold midnight blue eyes, hair almost pure white, and a suit so expensive I couldn't imagine how many zeroes were on the price tag.

Vlad Masters. My arch-nemesis. The guy who wanted to kill Dad, marry Mom, and have me as his creepy, evil, apprentice-son-thing. Seriously, couldn't the dude just get a hobby? Or maybe a cat?

I glanced over and saw Jazz shoot me an apologetic smile, knowing I was fuming about Vlad being here. She really was a good sister, even if she was a bit of a know-it-all. I opened my mouth to protest Vlad's presence, but Dad started blathering on about his new invention before I could say a word.

"Here it is! The Specter Scanner! It'll scan the area and detect if any ectoplasmic energy is active, what it's being used for, and who, or what, the source is! We'll be able to tell if people are overshadowed, if they have ectoplasmic contaminant, and all sorts of cool stuff!"

I froze. This was not good. Ok, I just had to not do anything ghostly around that thing. Of course, Vlad chose now to make a jab at my Dad. "And how exactly do you know it works? I heard most of your inventions failed. That, and there aren't even any ghosts around to test it on."

I'll admit, I was pretty stupid at that moment. I let me emotions override my logic as I glared at him. I could feel my eyes flash green, but I didn't care. This guy just can't resist, can he?! I was about to reply with something less than tasteful when a flash of red light and a robotic female voice filled the kitchen.

"Active Ectoplasmic Energy detected. Use: Unknown. Source: Daniel James Fenton. Status of Source: within normal range. Scanning..." After it had said the 'source' my green eyes returned to my normal blue. A red light flashed over me, and I was so paralyzed I couldn't do a thing about it. "Scan complete. Anomaly detected. Biological Condition of Source: 50% human DNA, 50% ghost DNA. Determination: Source is half-human half-ghost. Solution: Unknown."

Time seemed to stop in that one moment. How? How had this one invention uncovered the secret I'd kept for two years in just a couple of seconds? Everyone stared, both at me and the machine. Mom's voice was so quiet, if I didn't have heightened sense from both my ghost side, and my fights, I would barely have been able to hear it. "Danny, what is this machine talking about?"

I sighed. I hadn't wanted my parents to find out this way. Or at all, if I could help it. I looked around and saw Jazz with a worried and surprised expression. I was shocked to see Vlad's face parallel hers. Well, of course. If my secret gets blown, so does his. I started to rub the back of my neck. "Well, actually Mom..." Then she said something that was like a slap in the face.

"I didn't ask for you to stall for time, now tell me what is going on. Explain yourself."

I was horrified. My own mom wasn't sure what I was. She talked to me like I was any other 'ghost scum'. So I blurted it out before I lost my nerve. "The portal turned me half-ghost." I took a deep breath, and seeing that no one else was going to speak, I did. "The portal wasn't working, so I put on a HazMat suit and went in, to explore. I tripped over a cord, and pressed the On button, on accident, on the inside of the portal. It made me half-ghost." I decided to leave Sam and Tucker out of this, why make them take the blame? As I recalled the memory, I was forced to remember the pain as the portal turned on. The electricity and ectoplasm shocking me until I was permanently half-dead.

Knowing the only way to get them to understand would be to show them, I muttered the two words that changed my life forever back when I was 14.

"Goin' ghost."

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**AN: Well, this is definitely going somewhere interesting! At least, I hope that's what you guys think! Remember to review! See you guys next time! Kasena, out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey, guys, sorry for the wait! I had an impromptu camping trip that started Monday morning and I only just today got enough phone signal to thoroughly go through my email. But hey, on the bright side, we get to eat freshly caught clams and oysters. I am so happy with all the response I got from this, I had a dumb grin forever! R&R, please!**

**Ghostfudge160: You honestly think I'm that mean as to make this a one-shot? No, I'm hoping this'll have plenty of chapters. And no, I wouldn't ****_ever_**** want to be the reason someone cried. Because I stopped writing, that is. If you cry due to the content of the fic, I'm fine. Well, quake longer, for here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Danny's POV**

I closed my eyes as I felt the cool white-blue rings appear around my stomach and split off. The cold feeling the rings gave off slowly washed over all of me, starting with my chest and waist. It slowly traveled and soon I felt the cool feeling start to fade around my feet and fingertips. I opened my eyes and immediately saw my white hair in my face, in place of my norm black hair.

I awkwardly smiled at my parents, trying to mask my doubt and nervousness. "Uh, surprise?" I knew they were shocked, I didn't have to see the look on their faces to know that they couldn't believe that their own son was the Ghost Boy. I just hoped they understood. It was about a couple of minutes after I transformed, so I tried to get their attention. "Um, Mom? Dad?"

They looked at each other and seemed to smile in the nice parental way. Jazz was obviously as nervous, if not more so, than I was. But I could tell she was proud that I was done lying to them. Vlad... Vlad was being Vlad. He probably realized that I may as well have just revealed him, too. _He's probably all like 'Oh no, now that they know, I can't scheme against them, or trick them!'_ I looked back at my parents and shyly asked them, "So, are you guys okay? Do you... understand?"

I looked away at the last word, but they surprised me. "Well, of course we're okay, sweetie! Although to help us understand, maybe we should go down to the lab." My eyes widened as I realized what she was implying. I sent an invisible duplicate to pack up the rest of my duffel bag. I vaguely saw Vlad warily narrow his eyes. He probably sensed my duplicate. I tried to stall for time as he... I... my duplicate packed. "W-w-why do we need to go down to the lab?"

Mom laughed, almost cruelly, as she answered. "Well, we need to run tests, and figure out how to cure my baby somehow." I blinked away the oncoming tears, but more sprang to my eyes. She... she didn't accept me. She thought I was some disease or contaminant that needed to be fixed. Fortunately, at that moment, my duplicate got me my 'I need to run away from home because of some type of ghostly emergency' duffel bag. I slung it over my shoulder, and ran over to the door. I barely heard the one set of footsteps following me, or the whispered "Oh, apple fritter," but it didn't register, as I was in panic mode. I threw the door open, and flew out, wiping away the tears as I tried my hardest to fly away from the people I thought I could trust, my Mom and Da- ... No, from Jack and Maddie Fenton, Amity Park's best ghost hunters, and parents of one daughter.

**Vlad's POV**

I stood at the door, watching as Daniel flew from his own home. I didn't attempt to follow him, knowing I'd find him soon enough. Instead, I focused my attention on the two that had just ruined my little badger's life. I turned back around to face them, the shock, disbelief, and hatred written all over their faces. Jasmine had apparently run out of the room, most likely far too upset about her brother to stay in the room. _Well, that just makes things easier for me,_ I hoped. Before I could say anything in Daniel's defense, Madeline spoke up. "Vlad, I'm so sorry about all this. I can't believe the Ghost Boy had the nerve to infiltrate our house, and take over my baby boy. He must either have a small amount of intelligence, or a large amount of bravery."

I stared at her, my anger seething. I casually slid my hand behind my back as I quickly charged up energy in my finger. "Active Ectopla-" That was all it got to say before I shot it with a small, yet strong, ecto-blast. Couldn't have that nasty invention interrupting us, after all. The couple stared at me with surprise and rage. I glared hatefully at the both of them.

"You truly think of your own son as ghostly scum? As though he is less than you? As though he is a monster waiting to be destroyed? Well, if your goal was to drive the 'monster' out of your home, I congratulate you. Although, I must let you know a few things. Your son is one of only three half-ghosts in the world. Do you realize what you may have just done?" I sighed in an attempt to let my anger out. I realized I had paced as I ranted. I smirked as I looked back at the Fentons. "Tell me, do the words Proto-Portal bring up any memories?"

I ignored the warm feeling I felt as the black rings around my waist went their predetermined directions. Jack, being the big, dumb, oaf that he is, blurted out the obvious. "You're the Wisconsin Ghost!" I rolled my eyes. _I swear, he really is dense at times. How is it that we were at one point _friends_?_

"No, I'm Technus. Of course I'm the Wisconsin Ghost! I used to live in Wisconsin! What did you think Ecto Acne did, just fade away?!" Madeline seemed to be mulling something over, and I waited patiently until she finally stated what was on her mind. "Well, this makes no sense. We've seen Vlad Masters and the Wisconsin Ghost in the same place at the same time before, and they were obviously separate people." _At least she is using her logic,_ I reasoned. _But she honestly isn't this blind to the truth, is she?_

"That is true, but honestly? After everything you've seen in the past few minutes, you didn't even speculate the possibility of duplication? Oh, Madeline, I thought you were more clever than this." She had an offended expression, but she truthfully deserved it. If she wanted to deny the truth, I'd give her nothing but facts. I sighed again, knowing they were too stubborn, and stuck in their ways to accept that not all ghosts were evil.

"You may talk to Jasmine, Ms. Manson, and Mr. Foley about what you may or may not have discovered after this encounter, but you will not speak against Daniel or I. If you choose to do anything to make his life more miserable than it already is, I will run Madeline and Jack Fenton out of town." Madeline glared at me before quietly shouting. "And what about Jazz?"

I looked back at her, shocked that she'd suggest I do something to the girl. "Jasmine accepted her brother for what he was without question, and acts no different around him than she used to. I would never act against her in such a way. But the situation for you two is very different. Today, I have shown you mercy, but next time, I may not be so kind. Now, I wish I could say I was sorry about this, but I'm really not." I wrapped my hands around each of their wrists, and before either could protest, I electrocuted them. Not enough to cause any damage, of course, but enough for them to pass out.

I wrote Jasmine a quick note, letting her know of the predicament.

_Jasmine,_

_I am afraid your parents are currently unconscious, but it was necessary. Please believe me when I say that when coming here, I never meant for any of this to happen. I had simply wanted to check in on my investments. But do not fear, there is nothing left here that is worth my time. I apologize for all that has happened to you and your brother. I do hope you both realize that should either of you need my help, I will do everything in my power to aid you. I wish you good luck with your parents, and with Daniel. Please do apologize to him for me._

_Vladimir Masters_

I looked up from the letter to see I was in front of Daniel's open door. Curiosity got the better of me, and I quietly walked in.

The first thing I noticed was the mess. I smiled faintly as I rolled my eyes. What more could I expect of him? I looked around and realized how unique the boy really was. All around his room were posters of either ghosts with statistics and bios, or NASA blueprints for shuttles. I glanced at his dresser and saw pictures along the edge of a mirror. There must've been other pictures here once, but the thin layer of dust told the story that they were recently removed. The only ones left were any with Madeline and Jack in them. My anger came back, but I forced it back. I finally left the room and crossed the hall to Jasmine's door.

My heart was instantly grew heavier as I heard her sobbing. None of this should've ever happened. I sighed quietly as I slipped the note under her door, knowing she wouldn't want to answer the door, especially to me. I turned intangible as I flew up and out. Now, I just needed to find my little badger before he got into trouble.

**AN: Well, things didn't exactly goes as planned, now, did they? We can only hope things will start to look for our young hero, and our old fruitloop. I wait, I don't have to hope, I know what happens next! Well, this is me, I suppose. Kasena, out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**** Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated recently! I've been on two camping trips, and to a convention in the last two weeks! It was kinda cool. I don't know how often I'll be posting soon, school starts on Wednesday. On the plus side, it'll be my first day of high school! I'm really excited for it. Probably as excited you are for this update! This chapter is kind of an explanation chapter and flashback of earlier rolled up into one. It is definitely my longest one yet. Well, here you go! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Maddie's POV**

I woke up to hear the front door closing. I was a bit disoriented, but more than that, I was furious! How dare that... that ghost! I refused to believe that it was anything less than a ghost infecting and controlling our son and mayor. Well, he did bring up some good points. Maybe it really is possible... I shook my head. No! This is exactly what that ghost wants, both of them! To make me doubt myself and not come after them for everything they've done to my family! Well, if they thought their little plan would work, they've got another thing coming! I looked at Jack, who was still unconscious, and sighed. Where did things go wrong? My baby seemed so well today, so... normal!

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_Danny came down to breakfast looking more well-rested then I could remember for a long time. "Hi, sweetie! Cereal's in the cupboard, milk is still on the counter from earlier. Oh, we got your favorite Fruit Loops while we were at the store yesterday." For some reason, he blushed and muttered something about crazy fruit loops._

_I turned my attention back to the device Jack and I were tinkering with. We were thinking of making a sort of cross between the Booo-merang, and the Fenton Finder, then upgrading them. The Fenton Finder always locked in on Danny, so it obviously needed work. Truth be told, we had found the device in a pile of old non-working inventions, and finally found the motivation and the inspiration to attempt to get it into working order, with an upgrade to boot. It had a lot of work to be done, but it would probably be finished later today. After observing Phantom for two years, I was sure he was different from other ghosts. Hopefully, if this invention did what it was supposed to, it'd tell us what exactly was different about Phantom. I just hoped it would work, and that it wouldn't work on Danny, like all the others always do._

_Danny and Jazz got up from the table, having finished their breakfast. I was a bit surprised, Danny normally ran off a lot earlier than Jazz. I just smiled. That rest must've just made him less jumpy. You could hardly sneak up on him without him either knowing you're already there, or reacting violently. I'd seen him react that way when Tucker came over a few times and snuck up on him, both intentionally and unintentionally. I sighed, thinking about how my boy has been different ever since the Portal accident. Actually, it was more pronounced when Phantom started causing havoc._

_I shrugged it off as Danny being scared of the powerful ghost, just like half the city population. In fact, he seemed to start taking interest in our inventions ever since Phantom appeared. He probably thought that he should start getting into the family business, since his sisters obviously wasn't, and wanted to make sure he knew how to take down any ghost that came to our town, especially Phantom. I was sure that was the reason for Danny acting so strange anytime we mentioned him. He just wanted to absorb everything, know how to rip apart that phony 'hero' apart molecule by molecule._

_The rest of the day passed much like that, Jack and I working on the new invention, which we dubbed the 'Specter Scanner', and me musing over thoughts of Danny ghost hunting just like his parents._

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_Danny and Jazz got home at the same time, again, unusual, but I figured Danny was just finally on-track after a good night's sleep. They both immediately went upstairs to do their homework. I grinned proudly, glad that Danny was being responsible for once and working on his school work._

_My good mood, unfortunately, didn't last long. About a half hour after Danny and Jazz got home, there was a knock at the door. Jack put down his screwdriver before I could volunteer to get it, and walked over to the door. The door was thrown open, and even though I couldn't see behind Jack, he let me know who it was, and I groaned. "VLADDIE!" Well, this is great. I swear, if he tries anything- "...in the kitchen, we're working on a new invention. Should be ready by dinner. Hey, Maddie, look who it is! It's Vladdie!"_

_I tried to keep my face neutral. "Vlad." He smirked, and in that annoyingly arrogant, rich voice, he seemed to purr. "Why, Maddie. You've never looked lovelier, my dear. Now, would you mind explaining to me what this device will do, once it's finished? Most likely something ingenious, if you came up with it."_

_I restrained myself from rolling my eyes at him. Apparently he thought that showering me with compliments was the way to my heart. He couldn't be more wrong. "Well, we actually won't be able to say anything until it's finished, which as Jack said, should be around dinner time." I sighed, before putting on my polite act. "So, Vlad, we haven't seen you around recently. Have you been up to anything?"_

_He laughed, as though I had just told a funny joke. "Other than my mayoral responsibilities, nothing of worth to note. I just thought it a good idea to drop in and see how you and your family are. Speaking of, where are Jasmine and Daniel? Surely the school has gotten out by now."_

_I glanced at his amused smirk. "Well, they actually got home about half an hour ago. They're both upstairs in their rooms, working on their homework." I ignored his surprised look and continued on, hoping to get him to leave me alone for at least a few minutes. "If you want, you can go say 'hello' to them." The smirk was back as he rose from his chair._

_"That seems like an excellent idea. I believe I might do that." And he walked up the stairs. I felt a little bad. I had seen how hostile Danny got when Vlad was around. It normally resulted in them shouting at each other, hurling insults, or a mix of both. I supposed I could understand why. If some creep hit on my mom, I'd be a bit aggressive, too. But it seemed to go further than that, as though they personally had a history against each other. I ignored my swirling thoughts as, a few minutes later, Vlad came downstairs. He had a smile on his face, one I had never seen on him. I just couldn't place what emotion it was. I didn't get much more time to ponder on it, as he sat down and watched as Jack and I worked._

_I internally sighed, and asked the question I knew he was waiting for. "Vlad, would you like to stay for dinner?" His smile changed to an almost predatory grin as he answered. "Why, Maddie, that would be lovely, thank you." I repressed a shudder. As long as he let us work on the invention, I was fine. He grabbed a newspaper I didn't realize he had, and began reading. Oh well, more time for our project._

_To test how accurate the results were, I shot my ecto-gun at the trash. Before I knew it, a computerized voice rang out. "Active Ectoplasmic Energy detected. Use: Weapon ammunition. Source: Fenton Ecto-Pistol. Status of Source: within normal range." I grinned. Not quite, but almost there. I wanted it to be able to tell us if there was something wrong with anything or anyone with ecto-energy. If a gun had a malfunction already, or if it was likely to get one soon, whereas for a person, it could tell us if they had a disease. I glanced at Vlad, and was a bit surprised._

_His eyes were narrowed, yet one eyebrow was raised, as though he were both curious and suspicious about the invention. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Vlad, Mayor Masters, hunter of ghosts, hated the existence of our invention._ I furrowed my brow in confusion. _That can't be right, Vlad hates ghosts. And this'll help us so much if ghosts attack, or overshadow anyone!_ But he didn't say anything, and just went back to reading. Ignoring the oddness of what I may or may not have seen, I started putting the finishing touches on the scanner. I was so deep into the work, I didn't notice that Jack had left for a minute to order pizza._

_Just as I finished up, there was a knock on the door. Grabbing my wallet, I went to answer it. As I paid for the pizza, I heard Jack and Vlad washing up. I put the pizza on the table and went back to the scanner. I shot my ecto-gun one more time at the rest of the trash. Again, the computerized voice sounded. "Active Ectoplasmic Energy detected. Use: Weapon ammunition. Source: Fenton Ecto-Pistol. Status of Source: within normal range. Scanning..." A red light flashed over the gun for a moment. "Scan complete. No anomalies. Analysis of Source: Nothing ab-normal. Chance of Malfunction: Highly unlikely._

_I couldn't stop the smile the size of Asia on my face. It worked. For once, one of our inventions worked perfectly. I walked to the bottom of the stairs, to see Jazz already on her way down. I smiled at her. "Jazz, pizza is in the kitchen." I looked around before continuing. "And watch out, Vlad's in there too." Her small smile fell. I watched as she walked into the kitchen before calling to Danny. "Danny, time for dinner!" I went back to the kitchen and put the last details on the Specter Scanner, making it known that it's a Fenton device._

_I glanced up as Danny walked in. He seemed to be solely focused on the food. It didn't last too long, though. As soon as he saw Vlad, I could feel the tension growing in the kitchen. Danny seemed like he was about to say something either to, or about, Vlad, but Jack started shouting about the Scanner, interrupting whatever Danny may have been about to say. Once my loveable goof finished, Vlad made a crack about how the inventions Jack comes up with rarely work. I watched as Danny glared at him, and almost let out a gasp. His eyes were green. _Did they always do this?_ I looked for Vlad's reaction, and he seemed smug. Before anyone could say anything, The Spector Scanner did it's job, and did it well._

_Danny, Jazz, and even Vlad seemed horrified. It was like they couldn't believe the invention worked, or what it said. I couldn't believe it either. _Half ghost? Please, that's scientifically impossible!_ But then, I thought for a while. _It made a bit of sense. The sudden interest in our jobs, the clumsiness after the Portal incident, why he seemed so jumpy, how strange and discreet he became after Phantom- No, he is not Phantom._ Wanting to put my thoughts to rest, and possibly confirm a theory or two, I asked Danny about what was reported. I recognized his attempt to stall for time, and demanded he just tell me the truth._

_It seemed that wasn't the right thing to say. His face, he seemed as though I had just said something terrible, or forbidden. So he blurted out his explanation. I stayed silent, learning that one of my theories was right. I waited to see if my others were. He more slowly and calmly elaborated, before looking at his father and I, then muttered something I couldn't quite hear. But if I had to guess, I'd say he said "Going ghost." Even to this day, I'm still in disbelief and a little awe._

_The most beautiful thing I saw appeared. It was like an energy made up entirely of light energy. One ring or white-blue energy appeared around his stomach until it split into two and they traveled vertically. They vanished once they got to the ends of his body, and in place of Danny Fenton, my shy little baby boy, was Danny Phantom, cocky town menace._

_"Uh, surprise?" I racked my brain for how this had happened. _A ghost manifested in Danny, or maybe it was just a trick. Maybe Phantom was just in disguise or something. Yes, that must've been it! Phantom must've merged with Danny and used his humanity to get past all our ghostly defences! Phantom could even be controlling some of the things Danny did! This would require lots of tests, indeed._ I explained so to Danny/Phantom, but before I knew it, he had a duffel bag over his shoulder and he was running to the door. I faintly heard Vlad's "Oh, apple fritter" as he tried to follow after him. He got as far as the door before Phantom flew into the sky and away from us. I was confused as to why Vlad would try to go after the Ghost Boy. _Maybe he wanted to catch him before he got away.

_I watched as Jazz ran up the stairs with tears in her eyes. I understood why she was so upset. Realizing your brother is a deceptive, manipulative ghost would upset anyone. Vlad turned back to us with a sad look in his eyes, but also... angry? I apologized for the whole scene the ghost caused._

_He seemed to calm down for a moment, but at that same second, the Scanner rang out a second time, "Active Ectopla-" and then it stopped. It had been shot by an ecto-blast. I could still faintly see the Ecto-Energy and follow it's trail back to Vlad. I couldn't believe it! Our own mayor, corrupted by ghosts?! Who hasn't been gotten by the ghosts? He started ranting to us about our treatment of our supposed 'son', and how we drove the lying little specter from our home._

_Once again, he seemed to calm down, but then black rings, almost opposite of Phantom's, appeared at Vlad's waist, and once they split off, it revealed a ghost whose name I could barely recall, but Jack was able to remember his name as though he'd never forget it. Once he did blurt it out, the ghost rolled his eyes._

_It almost seemed like the Vlad I've always known, the sarcasm, the disdain towards Jack, even the mention of the Ecto Acne! But wait... as I tried to put this together, something didn't add up. I voiced my thoughts aloud, and was answered with a smirk and a rather amused response. I gaped slightly, after the ghost's reply. Vlad never called me Madeline. He called everyone by their full name, Danny, Jazz, but for me, it was always Maddie! And how was I supposed to know that duplication was an option? There was no way this was the Vlad I knew!_

_Then, he started commanding us! Threatening us! He- ... Wait, Sam and Tucker knew about the ghost controlling Danny? But how? And why didn't they say anything? How would this ghost run us out of town? He couldn't! I pulled out what I thought to be my trump card, and asked him about Jazz. He got this shocked look on his face like that was the last thing he was expecting. But then, he went on about how Jazz accepted her brother (she knew, too?) And how he was showing us a mercy. Then, he grabbed our wrists and shocked us with electricity, and then everything was black._

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_Why didn't he kill us? All ghosts are malicious and malevolent, and wouldn't pass up the opportunity to kill humans. Maybe he knew it would make things look suspicious. But then, ghosts don't use logic, they follow instinct!_ I sighed. _I should check on Jazz, make sure that that ghost hasn't touched a hair on her head._

I walked upstairs only to be greeted by Jazz's sobbing. I ran to her door and knocked, "Jazz? Sweetie, are you alright?" I heard a muffled "No" from the other side of the door, and I felt myself grow more worried. "Jazz, you can unlock the door, that monster is gone!"

Then, I heard footsteps, as if she were getting closer to the door so I could hear, even through her sniffling. "No they're not. The monsters are still here. And I'm talking to one of them." I gasped. What did that mean? "Jazz, are you saying one or both of those things are still in your room?"

An exasperated sigh and a sob came from her side of the door. "No. Thanks to you, Danny isn't here anymore. And Vlad hopefully went after him." She still believed them to be the Danny and Vlad we know? "And when I said 'monsters', I meant you and Dad!" Then the footsteps trailed away, and the sound was slowly replaced by sobbing, again. _What did she mean, we were the monsters? My poor girl, she must've just been in shock._ I shook my head and reluctantly went back downstairs.

I walked over to Jack, who was still unconscious. I shook him and partly-whispered, partly-demanded. "Jack, you have to wake up right now. We have work to do." Not giving him another chance to fall asleep, I dragged him into a sitting position, until he finally opened his eyes. I then took his hand and led him to the lab. _Yes, lots of work to do, theories to research, ghosts to interrogate._

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**AN:**** Sorry if it was a bit boring! But, I thought we should see how Maddie was (or wasn't) dealing with knowing the truth. Next chapter will definitely have more... stuff! But hey, Jazz doesn't like her parents anymore, and Jack and Maddie are going to 'fix' their son! Probably... Who knows? Oh, that's right, I do! Well, until next time awesome readers! Kasena, out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Well, inspiration hit me. Right in the brain-skull. Finally in high school, but I may have more time to work on this than I originally thought. I just can not believe how much response I'm getting from this! Every time someone reviews, faves, or follows, I get a big grin, so thanks everyone! You know who you are!**

**Disclaimer:** **No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Vlad's POV**

Thankfully, once I delivered the note to Jasmine, I was already in my ghostly form, so I was able to fly up and out. I immediately started to scan the skies for a trace of Daniel, but when I saw a small black dot far away from me, I couldn't be sure if it was him, a plane of some sort, or another ghost. I tapped into my ghostly sense, and like always, held my breath to not let any red vapor escape. Either that was a different ghost, or something was wrong, and Daniel was at half strength.

I flew towards the black dot, and it slowly revealed itself to be the form of Danny Phantom. "Daniel!" I called out to him, and he turned. His face showed many expressions. Confusion, anger, sadness, until it finally settled on determination. Before I knew what was happening, he flew away at his top speed. What he didn't know was that my top speed was higher than his. I quickly caught up to him, but he unexpectedly turned. I raced to catch up to him again, and grabbed his arm.

"Daniel, stop this nonsense and listen to me!" He didn't struggle, but instead, smirked arrogantly then seemed to fade from existence. My eyes widened as I went over what just happened in my head. He couldn't have teleported. As far as I know, he doesn't know how. Anyway, that normally has a puff of smoke after the fact. He just disappeared. And then I realized it.

It was a duplicate. While I was proud of him for being able to fool me like that, I couldn't believe he had so easily slipped by me. I tapped into my sense once again, but couldn't find anything. He was most likely in his human form. I started looking for him from above the rooftops. I just hoped he was safe, and far away from the elder Fentons.

* * *

**Danny's POV**

I flew for what felt like hours, but after checking my phone, must've only been about five or ten minutes. I landed in an alley somewhat near Casper High and, after making sure the coast was clear, I transformed and instantly brushed my, now black, bangs out of my face. I set down my duffel bag and sat down next to it, my head dipped, my body hunched. _How could they do this?_ I thought to myself. _I always thought they'd accept me, they did in those other timelines. So, why didn't they this time? Because they changed,_ I brought my head up with the realization.

_That's it. They've changed. They must've started hating Phantom so much that they couldn't see that he and Fenton were exactly the same, that Phantom wasn't evil._ My head fell forward again. My duplicate's energy and memories got back to me.

I was glad I sent him out while I was flying as a decoy for any ghosts or hunters. Absorbing the memories was always terrible, but it was worth it. I stayed high up where it'd be hard to see me, while my duplicate stayed closer to the ground. I was still searching for a spot to land, but my duplicate had been found by Plasmius. I wasn't sure how to feel towards him, so I told my duplicate to send him on a wild Goose chase. Early on in the chase, I landed, but only when my duplicate got caught by Plasmius did he come back to me.

_I wish I could've seen his face when 'I' disappeared!_ The thought brought a small smile to my face. _Maybe he thought I teleported. Man, tricking Vlad into thinking I could teleport would be just about the best thing in the world! Everytime we fight he'll be all "Oh no, if I'm not careful, he might teleport away and save Jack or steal Mad-"_ I immediately stopped my train of thought. I would never want to save those two, anymore. I might have to, because of my heroism, and not wanting the guilt of knowing I caused two deaths. But now, they're just the same as any other citizen that just so happens to be that they're ghost hunters. The words 'ghost hunters' made me start to think about Team Phantom. I should probably call them. Sam and Tucker, at the very least. They need to be updated about the situation.

After a couple particularly bad fights with Skulker and Technus, I made sure that everyone on Team Phantom always had their Fenton Phones with them, in case of emergency. I was pretty sure this qualified as an emergency. I pressed the button on the right ear piece and waited as I heard a small buzzing before someone picked up.

_"Danny?"_ I heard a feminine voice, and was instantly relieved to recognize it as Sam's."

"Sam? Oh, great! Sam, something awf-"

_"Hey, you called?"_ Tucker's voice rang in on the device.

"Tucker? Oh good, I'll only have to say it once. Okay, so here's wha-"

_"What's wrong?"_ An older girl's voice, racked with worry, interrupted me. Jazz.

"This is good that you're listening, Jazz. You can help me explain what happened."

_"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry! I'm trying to explain to mom and dad that you're good, but they're being stubborn! Please, Danny, don't be mad at me! I'm really trying, I-"_

"Jazz! It's fine, I'm not mad at you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me."

_"Danny."_ Sam's voice was fearful. Either not knowing what we were talking about, or that it sounded serious, scared her.

I sighed before telling them the awful truth. "I... My parents made a new invention. It worked... really well. It... it told them my secret." I could feel tears pricking my eyes as I went on. "I told them about the accident. You guys, they... they..." I watched as my tears hit the ground. "They didn't accept me! They thought I was some type of disease... Guys... what am I gonna do?" At this point, I was speaking through sobs. I had nowhere to stay, nothing to eat, who knew how long I was gonna be able to survive like this? I slowly became aware that they were trying to talk to me.

_"-anny... Danny... Danny!"_

I sniffed a bit before responding, "Y- yeah?"

_"Dude, we'll work through this, we always have. Don't worry. We can't do anything tonight, but we can meet up at school tomorrow to talk about things."_

_"Tucker's right, Danny. Things aren't going to be completely okay, but they'll get better. What you need to do is get somewhere no one will see, or where they won't question a kid sleeping, calm down, and get some rest. The city will survive one night without their hero."_

_"Please, Danny. You need to get some rest. We'll all meet up tomorrow at school, but tonight you need to just forget about things and sleep. I love you, little brother. Don't forget that. I gotta go, Mom is at my door again."_ And her voice clicked out, leaving just Sam, Tucker, and I.

_"Guys... thanks. For being here for me, I mean. I'll... see you at school. I think I am gonna get some sleep. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."_ I clicked off my Fenton Phones and sat for a minute.

_I can do this. I have my two best friends and the world's greatest older sister helping me. Things'll be fine._ I kept repeating that to myself until I fell asleep. But a large part of me wishes I hadn't slept that night. It was the worst, most restless night I'd ever had.

* * *

**AN: I feel bad for leaving it off there. And I'm also sorry it took me so long to write the rest of this! I started writing it a couple of weeks ago, lost the inspiration, and found a new one. Hope you guys like it! Remember, reviews make me smile!**

**Vlad: So remember to not review.**

**I will light your cape on fire!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey, hey readers, guess what day it is. ANGST DAAAY! OMG, thank you guys so much! Even a week or so after they are posted, your guys' reviews make me smile so much! I just can't believe it! And so, for Angst Day, and to make you guys (hopefully, but probably not) smile, here's the next chapter! Enjoy, even if it is a little short! Oh, and I may or may not have a little intentional reference in here to something. If you can guess where and what it is, I'll give you a virtual ecto-chip cookie! It's like chocolate chips, but ghostly!**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Danny's POV**

_The first thing I registered was that it was dark. Like, I could see myself with perfect clarity, it was like looking at myself under the sun. My jeans and shoes were a bit scuffed up, but nothing too terrible. I tried to figure out where I was, but everything around me was pitch black. I almost expected the bogeyman himself to come out, with all the darkness I saw. What happened was almost worse than that._

_I blinked my eyes and when I did, the scene instantly changed. I was in the Amity Park, well, park. I looked down to see I was wearing my HAZMAT suit. _Why am I in ghost mode?_ I thought to myself. My eyes traveled a little further down my body until I saw it. _ And what is up with my leg?!_ I moved to examine my leg further, seeing it was at an unnatural angle and that it hurt to put any weight on it, but paused as an ecto-shot went over my shoulder. I dared not move, but started hearing a voice anyway._

_"Stop right there, ghost kid! One more move and that one gets your head!" _Well, thanks for that great visual, mom._ "Now, either you tell me where my son is, what you've done to him, or I'll-"_

_I stopped her from going on, not wanting to know any graphic mental pictures she might stir up. "I am your son!" Why can't you accept that?!" I heard some rustling in the bushes in front of me, then an orange wall with a head and a gun stepped out. "We can't accept it because it's not true! We only ever had two children, and we had no reason to believe one of them was dead!"_

_I started running. Where to, I had no clue, but I had to get away. But running meant using both legs. I put weight on my left leg and screamed in agony. Oh, Clockwork, that hurts! I shifted my weight to the other leg, and started to fly away. But no matter how hard I tried, they were right there. And the things they were saying, I could hardly handle._

_"Maddie, I think he's injured! Now's a perfect time to destroy him!" I winced. This was really happening. My parents were going to catch me and do Clockwork knows what to me._

_"Oh, Jack, we can't destroy him, we need to dissect him and learn why he's so different from other ghosts! ...Jack, he almost looks... afraid." Mom's worried tone gave me a bit of comfort, but not much._

_"Oh, don't be silly, Maddie, he's just a pile of ectoplasmic scum. He doesn't have real emotions." That last one cut like a knife. _How could he say that? I'm obviously afraid and in pain right now!_ All of a sudden, I felt something move around me, and the metaphorical knife turned into a literal one being used on my skin. My hands and feet were tied down with ghostly restraints, and I couldn't move as I lay on an examination table._

_I looked down, and turned away in horror. They were cutting my chest open. They were actually dissecting me. I didn't think I'd go out this way. I thought I'd be in a big fight. But here I was, my green blood slowly pooling around me as the people who raised and cared for me tore me open. I screamed until my throat was raw. When I had finally ran out of energy, I felt the cool rings transform me back. Huh, well at least that means I'm not dead. Yet._

_Even seeing young Danny Fenton lying there, my parents went on undeterred. In fact, that just encouraged them. "Jack, look at his blood! It has human-like qualities. Quick, get a sample!" It was at this that I realized I was crying. They either didn't notice, or didn't care. _Well, Jazz, you better tell 'em the truth. And don't touch my NASA or ghost-hunting stuff!_ Then, right when I thought I was a goner, the scene shifted again._

_I was sitting up right in a bed I only vaguely recognized. _Where am I? This isn't my bed..._ I looked up and saw Vlad Masters sitting there. Hating the fear in my voice, I asked him "W- what happened?" He smirked before answering._

_"You gave me quite a scare, little badger." I narrowed my eyes at the name, but he continued on. "I almost wouldn't have gotten to you in time. I heard the fear, and pain, and betrayal you were feeling, as that bumbling oaf put the knife to your chest. It absolutely pulled at my heart to hear you so hurt, so I developed these to help you with those pesky emotions." And to my absolute terror, he held up the Ghost Gauntlets._

_I froze. _No, he can't... I'm not supposed to... I didn't even cheat on the test! How is this happening?! I can't turn into him! Mom and Dad aren't even de- That's it. They're dead to me, so it's almost like they're literally dead. But that doesn't make sense! Everyone else is alive both in my head and in real life! There's no way this can be happening._ I finally noticed that I was at the same dark place I was at the beginning. Then, I heard a voice that chilled me to the bone. A voice I never want to hear. One that somehow always appears in my nightmares._

_"Your time's up, Danny-boy. It's been up for 10 years. You don't get it, do ya? I'm still here. I still exist. That means you still turn into me." Oh no, he's back, I immediately thought. Those were almost his exact words from that day. But then, something seemed to change. "You think just because they're still alive you won't become me? You can't keep a promise to people who don't care you made one. And don't worry. Soon, you'll be on the right path to becoming me. Then I'll be there, waiting. I'm always here, Danny." And as everything got darker, if that was possible, I saw white flames and two red glowing dots. "Always."_

_The next thing I knew, I heard someone screaming._

**AN: Man, poor Danny and his nightmares. Well, it makes sense. The previous night sure was full of nightmare fuel.**

**Vlad: Hmph, I've seen worse than Jack and Maddie talking, even with the expressions they had.**

**Danny: You fruitloop, you don't know half the things I've seen! I bet you don't even care that I'm scarred by them!**

**Ladies, ladies, you're both beautiful. Now, remember to review for me, people! Love ya! See ya next chapter! Kasena, out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry, guys, for not updating sooner. School, and chores, and... no, I'm lying. I've just been lazy. But hey, I'm updating, so be happy! I'm just glad I brought my journal to school to let me write down my ideas, cause otherwise, I'd have very little clue as to what to do now.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis- ... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Danny's POV**

At hearing the sudden, fear-filled scream, I shot up into a sitting position. My eyes darted around as I searched for the source of the noise. As soon as I sat up, I noticed, the screaming had stopped. I sighed in relief when I realized that the scream had come from me. _Well, at least that means no one is getting attacked by-_ My train of thought got derailed as my ghost sense went off. "Oh, come _on!_"

I transformed into Danny Phantom and took to the skies in search of the ghost who was no doubt terrorizing the citizens. _Again! Clockwork, why can't those guys just leave me, and my town, alone?! If only I could take this out on something-_ My thoughts were once again interrupted by the ever familiar, ever annoying cry, "I am the Box Ghost! **Beware!**" I sighed and turned to see the blue, overalls-wearing ghost with his back to me trying to look menacing as people ran.

"Hey, Boxy!" I shouted to the specter. He turned around and his 'menacing' expression turned to one of fright. I smirked at his expression. This'll be fast.

" Boxy? Boxy?! My name is not Boxy! I, the Box Ghost, will overcome you, Ghost Boy! For I am the ultimate master of corrugated cardboard and recycled bubble wrap!" As he finished his little monologue, I rolled my eyes. Some boxes and bubble wrap started rising off the ground. I ignored the non-threat and continued on with my banter.

"What, have you been taking lessons from Technus, Master of Long-winded Speeches?" For a second, he seemed at a loss, like he was really confused. Then, when he realized I was basically insulting him, he sprung into action. Boxes hurled themselves at me from every direction, and the sheets of bubble wrap tried to wrap themselves around me. I simply raised my eyebrow at him as I phased through his so-called 'weapons.' I sighed at him, knowing how this would play out.

"Alright, you made an effort, but now it's over. Stop making this harder on yourself and come quietly. I have places to be." He seemed to rack his brain for a response, almost like he thought he could talk his way out of this. When he finally came up with something, his eyes lit up and he grinned somewhat evilly at me.

"It is not I making things harder. You are the one fighting for an ungrateful town! **You** are the one who has to hide, even under your own roof! _**You**_ are the one who is constantly hunted by human and ghost alike! _**You**_ are the one making things harder for yourself! Therefore it is **I**, the Box Ghost, who is superi-" I cut him off. After I processed what he said, I was absolutely furious. My vision tinged green, the same color as my ecto-energy. I just about exploded. Literally, my energy exploded out around me, interrupting Box Ghost as he was wrapping up his little speech and throwing him 50 feet away from me, and painfully to the sidewalk.

"**Shut up! Just SHUT UP!** **You don't know what you're talking about!**" I roared down at him. _How dare this pathetic worm talk like he knows what my life is like! How dare he thinks, for even a second, that he actually know what he's talking about!_ I raised my hand and started to charge a blast. One that the little idiot definitely wouldn't survive. I aimed down at him and grinned. He looked back up at me, a horrific expression on his face. My grin started to fall as I took in the scene. I looked slowly to my raised hand to see a green-tinted miniature sun. I had to raise my arm in front of my eyes because of how close I was to the bright source of light. It was the first time I'd made such powerful energy outside of practice and training with Team Phantom.

I let the energy dissipate. _Wh-what am I doing?! I don't waste anyone, not even the annoying Box Ghost! And I never will, because I'm not a monster. I... I'm not evil... _I put my hand down and watched as his face of terror turned to one of relief. I smirked as it was soon replaced with one of worry as I went for my thermos. He tried to fly away. Boy, did he try. But I was just too fast for him. In just a few seconds, the blue light of the thermos caught him and sucked him up. I capped the thermos as smoke floated out of it. I looked down at the street below me. Only a few people were out, but they were all calling my name demanding my attention. As I quickly scanned the crowd, I saw a camera and a news reporter. I quietly swore. _Great. I just screwed up and now everyone is gonna see._ _Can this week get any better?_

I hit my top speed as I flew away from them all. I just couldn't face them after what I almost did. I almost incinerated someone. After that, how could anyone not hate me? I flew back to the alley way and transformed back to my human form. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. 5:46 AM. I shoved my phone back into my pocket. _Well, at least I'll have enough time to get to school, and fight ghosts, and I'll still probably be on time._ I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and started the walk to school.

* * *

I finally got to school at 7:13, according to the clock above the front entrance. I would've been there earlier if it weren't for the second and third ghost attacks of the day on my way here. I waited there on the stairs until it said 7:20, but there was still no sign of Sam, Tucker, or Jazz. Sighing, I got up and went to my locker to grab my books. I ignored any and everyone in the halls as I walked. I wasn't in any hurry. I turned the corner and, surprise, surprise, Team Phantom was waiting for me at my locker. They all stood closely together whispering, trying not to be overheard by outsiders. As I got closer, thanks to my enhanced hearing, I could hear them clearly.

"I can't believe it. It's just not like him"

"I know, Jazz, but obviously he's still really upset. So try not to do anything to set him-"

"Hey guys." Sam instantly shut up and hugged me tightly.

"Danny! Are you alright?" Sam let go of me, waiting for my response. I looked at them confusedly before answering.

"Of course I am, guys, why wouldn't I be?" They exchanged looks before Tucker answered me.

"Dude, we saw the news this morning. We saw the fight." My expression instantly darkened at the thought of what had happened earlier. I had to make my thoughts on the subject clear.

"You guys, that was a mistake that I don't ever wanna make again. I don't really wanna talk about it." Jazz sighed before she wrapped her arms around me.

"We get it, Danny, we're just worried about you. Is your big sister not allowed to worry about you anymore?" She had bother her hands on my shoulders as she smiled. I always was a sucker for her guilt trips.

"Alright, alright, I get it. But seriously, guys, I'm fine." She rolled her eyes, but backed off anyways.

"Alright, little brother. You be safe out there. Oh yeah!" She slid a backpack off her shoulder and held it out to me. "I believe this is yours?" I took my backpack from her. _Awesome, now I don't have to carry my duffel bag around with me all day!_ I shoved the bag into my locker after grabbing the books I needed.

"Thanks, Jazz, this is awesome." Right after I said that, the bell that told us we had five minutes left rang. I put on a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, Jazz, but we gotta go. Clockwork knows Lancer won't hesitate to mark me late even if it's by a second."

"I'll see you at lunch, then we can make a plan, okay?"

"Sounds great. See you then." She turned away and started to walk to her class. "C'mon, guys, I want to be earlier for once in my high school career." And with that, I opened closed my locker and spun the opposite direction to get to class.

* * *

**AN: Wow, that was kinda unexpected, even for me! I hope you guys enjoyed it, cause I enjoyed writing it!**

**Danny: I will never be evil.**

**Dan: That's what they all say.**

**Danny: AHH! *runs away***

***sigh* Don't worry, he'll be back in time for the next chapter. Don't forget to review! Kasena, out!**


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